


In which Eadgyd becomes a most formidable foe

by dwarrowdams



Series: Eadgar Lives AU [3]
Category: TOLKIEN J. R. R. - Works & Related Fandoms, The Hobbit - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: And bigots, Family Bonding, Gen, my girl has a metal arm!, prosthetic, she's gonna deck so many orcs, when I'm having a bad day I just imagine her punching the shit out of the DWD
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-26
Updated: 2020-09-26
Packaged: 2021-03-08 00:08:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,065
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26656393
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dwarrowdams/pseuds/dwarrowdams
Summary: Eadgyd receives her prosthetic arm.  Set about ten months after "Together Clinging."
Series: Eadgar Lives AU [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1913467
Kudos: 1





	In which Eadgyd becomes a most formidable foe

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, this was so wonderful to write. I've written a lot of Eadgyd being not sad, but this is the first time I've written her being positively giddy. It was a welcome break from literally everything else that's happening. I hope that some of her enthusiasm wears off on you as well.
> 
> Also, Avina mentions an Ediulf in here, which is what she and Hild named their first kid. (Canonically, said kid is named Eadgar, but it seems weird to name your child after your still-living brother, hence naming Ediulf after Avina's dad, the late Ediulf the Pugnacious.)

Eadgar stared at the prosthetic, still not believing that it was really before him.

Hild had returned with it late last night, so this was the first time Eadgar had gotten to see it in daylight. It was even more stunning than he’d imagined it: the metalwork was strong yet elegant and the design was sturdy. It reflected Eadgyd perfectly and Eadgar was grateful that Hild had taken so much time out of her life to oversee its making. Without her guidance, it would never have been this spectacular.

It had been nearly a year since Eadgyd had lost her arm and in that time, she’d learned to fight with only one arm and had done admirably. She could swing her axe with her right arm and use the remainder of her left for balance, but although her blows were still strong, she’d lost the deadly precision that had made her such a formidable fighter before. She didn’t speak of it much, but Eadgar could see how frustrated she was at having to expend so much energy balancing her axe one-handed.

Fortunately, those days were over. Eadgyd would still have to adjust to the prosthetic, but at least now she’d have a full arm to help steady her axe.

Eadgar ran his fingers over the metalwork as Swithun walked into the room. “Oh,” she gasped. “I could only see the barest of details, but now that it’s in daylight...it’s lovely. Eadgyd will be so happy.”

Eadgar nodded excitedly. “Is she up yet?”

Swithun shook her head. “Frida’s getting Avina up, then her.”

“Excellent—that means we have about three hours,” Eadgar said.

Much to his surprise, Avina emerged from her room a few moments later, looking less exhausted than she normally did at this time. “I hope she hurries up,” she murmured as she made herself a cup of tea. “Hild’s so warm and it’s cold out here.”

“You haven’t gotten a good look at it, have you?” Eadgar said as he nudged the prosthetic towards her.

Avina shook her head as she moved her mug out of its way. “Too tired last night,” she said as she leaned forward to examine it. “It’s beautiful, though. I know that Eadgyd cares more about practicality than aesthetics, but I hope she can appreciate how lovely it is.”

Eadgar nodded. He hadn’t noticed it last night, but the different metal plates that made up the prosthetic fit neatly together and moved easily. Some had small designs on them—presumably to mark the smith who had made them—that added a touch of elegance to the piece.

As Eadgar admired the prosthetic, Frida ran into the kitchen, looking frantic. “She’s coming!” she said. “Cover it up!”

Avina took the shawl from around her shoulders and tossed it over the prosthetic, arranging it so the shape didn’t give it away. The three of them sat at the table, eagerly awaiting Eadgyd. She showed up a few moments later, yawning as she pushed her hair away from her face.

“What’s all this about?” she said.

“We have a present for you,” he said, gesturing to the lump on the table.

Eadgyd arched an eyebrow. “What on earth is it?” she murmured.

“Guess you’ll just have to look and find out,” Eadgar said, grinning.

Eadgyd lifted the shawl and gasped when she saw what was underneath it. “For me?” she said.

“Of course it’s for you,” Avina teased. “I might joke about needing an extra arm to keep up with Ediulf, but you need one far more than I do.”

Eadgyd shook her head, the tears falling freely now. “I’d tell you to take it back, that it’s too expensive, but I want it too much,” she said in between sobs.

“It was all Eadgar’s doing,” Swithun said. “He asked us for help soon after you lost your arm. We all came together to save the money.”

“Sorry it took so long,” Frida said. “We could’ve gotten a premade one for cheaper, but we wanted something that was just for you. And besides, Hild came up with the most brilliant design. That’s why she’s been traveling so often: she’s been paying the dwarves of the Iron Hills to craft it for you and overseeing their progress. She got home late last night, which is why she’s not here right now.”

“It’s perfect,” Eadgyd murmured. “I can’t wait until Hild wakes up so I can thank her.”

“She did a fine job,” Swithun said. “She chose the smith herself after examining all sorts of work. We all did what we could to help, but Hild did more than any of us could have expected.”

“I’m so grateful,” Eadgyd said. “To Hild and to all of you. I cannot imagine what you sacrificed and I don’t know how I could ever thank you enough.”

“You can start by trying it on,” Eadgar said.

Eadgyd grinned, her eyes still misty. “Will you help me?” she asked.

Eadgar nodded and helped her fasten it to her left bicep. “So,” he said. “How does it feel?”

“Heavy,” Eadgyd said, smiling. “I’d forgotten what it felt like to have a whole arm.”

She held it up, admiring the detail, when her eyes fell on a spring near the wrist. “What’s this for?” she asked.

“Push back with your fist and see,” Frida said.

Eadgyd did so, causing her prosthetic hand to thrust forward in a punch. She giggled like a small child before doing it again. “This is brilliant!” she said.

“It was my idea,” Eadgar said. “Hild asked what special features you’d want and I knew it’d be something like this.”

“It’s perfect,” she said. “Now I can throw a punch without hurting myself!”

Eadgar paused, looking off into the distance. “Did you hear that?” he said. “I do believe I heard every orc, Uruk, and unsavory criminal crying out in fear now that Eadgyd the Bold has an armored fist.”

Eadgyd laughed, pulling Eadgar into a hug. “They’d better watch themselves,” she said. “It’s about time I put some fear into their hearts.”

“I couldn’t agree more,” Eadgar said. “Now get your cloak—we’re going to go outside and you’re going to punch whatever you want.”

Eadgyd laughed gleefully as she ran to fetch her cloak. “Mind where you stand, brother,” she called over her shoulder. “I still need to work on my aim.”

**Author's Note:**

> This should be the last chapter before Eadgar and Eadgyd join the party (although I may jump back in time at some point). I'm trying my best to keep this series mostly linear, but I'm not sure how long that'll last.
> 
> I hope y'all are doing all right—I know the last six months have basically been one long haze of anxiety and I hope anyone reading this has found something to bring them comfort.
> 
> (Related: I went through a Stardew Valley phase at the beginning of this year and literally thought it happened last year until I saw that all of my SDV screenshots were from January/February 2020. This year has totally fucked my perception of time.)
> 
> Please comment if you enjoyed this!
> 
> Tumblr: dwarrowdams  
> Twitter: @_tenderqueer


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